The Hero's Agenda
by Nemesis dan Impyrean
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is very strong. She's a hero, after all. But some decisions she makes in order to become the perfect Ladybug disconnects her from her friends and family. And some conclusions lead her to think maybe Ladybug doesn't need to exist after all. She struggles and changes, probably for the better. But you know, the thing is... she's not the only hero in Paris.


"How many times do we have to do this?" the girl groaned. She looked down at the city, a glimmering, shining metropolis that was unaware of the battle that had been fought.

Unlike usual.

And anyway, even when there was a battle they were aware of, all they did was run. Some even had the nerve to take videos while she was risking her life. Anything that broke was fixed once it was over. No consequences - for them.

They were _lucky_. Everything was just handed to them on a silver -

She shook the thought away. She, better than anyone else, knew what brooding led to. A weakness to be exploited. So with reluctance, Marinette turned away from the view and threw her yoyo to the next roof, pulling it taut.

It was time to go home.

* * *

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had quit school a few months ago. To the dismay of her parents she also started working, and had told them she planned to move away when she was old enough.

They had tried to talk her out of it, but that just made her decide to move out that instant.

She worked at a small cafe, and the owner - whose name was Liam McCallister - let her stay in one of the rooms above. Of course, he didn't pay her anymore, but in return he also fed her. It was worth it. No questions when she disappeared as long as she was on time for work, and no one expected her to work when an akumatized person was rampaging.

And so there she found herself, curled up in a small, rickety bed. Marinette had stayed up late the previous night fighting an akuma, some graffiti artist calling himself Roy G Biv.

The thought of the name made the corners of her lips lift a little. It was funny - but his ability to blind her with paint hadn't been. Luckily she kept him from escaping into the streets, so no one was the wiser.

She rolled over, pressing her face into the pillow. She was tired and hungry and needed a shower, but what was she supposed to do first? The claws of hunger in her stomach decided her.

Dragging herself out of bed, Marinette headed downstairs and into the kitchen. Liam looked up as she entered, in the middle of flipping pancakes.

"This is for the customers," he told her. He gestured to the fridge with the spatula. "There's an apple and a croissant in the paper bag on the top shelf. Help yourself."

"Thanks," Marinette said.

Liam nodded. As he poured more pancake batter into the pan, he added, "You're supposed to work at ten this morning. Make sure to shower and take a nap after you eat - I don't want you falling asleep on your shift." He smiled at her.

Marinette, her mouth too full to answer, merely nodded and headed back upstairs. She finished off the croissant quickly and started working on the apple as she sorted through her clothes.

The uniform at the cafe was lax. All Liam wanted was no logos and practical clothes, so that was all she took with her when she had left.

Although she might have to get new clothes eventually… She was starting to grow out of them.

Frowning at the thought of working another job, Marinette took another bite of apple. Then she grabbed a new outfit and showered, enjoying the hot water that soothed her aches and pains. Wrapping her head in a towel, she collapsed on the bed, not caring if she got the sheets wet.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Marinette replied, her voice muffled by the pillow. But still Tikki could hear the exhaustion in the girl's voice.

The little ladybug kwami patted Marinette's neck, settling in next to her. "You did a good job," Tikki told her softly. She listened as her charge's breathing slowed, and she knew the girl was asleep.

"I wish you wouldn't do it by yourself, though," Tikki murmured. She nibbled on the apple's remains, wishing she had something sweeter to eat but knowing Marinette couldn't afford it. The girl couldn't afford a lot of things nowadays.

Tikki sighed. Poor Marinette. When she had left home, Tikki wanted to protest. But she knew - she _knew_ \- that if she did, Marinette would shut her out too.

And then she would have no one.

Eyes filled with sadness for the girl who wouldn't cry, Tikki kept track of the time. Marinette slept soundly, and could have probably used more sleep, but the kwami woke her up an hour before her shift started. The girl needed to eat a little and change before she started working.

"Mm… Thanks Tikki," Marinette said sleepily, turning over to lie on her back. She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes.

Tikki patted her shoulder. "See you later, Marinette," she said, before vanishing back into the earrings to rest.

With a sigh, Marinette got up and changed. Then she went downstairs and snagged another croissant from the fridge, eating it quietly in her corner.

Liam poked his head in. "You ready?" he checked.

"Yeah."

"Excellent. Call me if anything goes wrong." He gave her a quick smile before heading upstairs himself.

"I will," Marinette said, heading out to the front. It was a very small and slow cafe, and after a few months of working Marinette felt reasonably confident handling the orders and customers. She _had_ lived in a bakery her whole life. She knew her way around people and pastries.

…Somewhat.

The bell on the door rang cheerfully as the first customer entered the cafe.

* * *

Adrien waited on a rooftop, decked out in his Chat Noir outfit. He didn't have to wait long - Ladybug swung beside him, her face blank as ever. However, he thought her eyes looked a little more grim as she surveyed the wreckage the akumatized person had left behind.

"So…" she said slowly. "Where is it?"

She never called the akumatized person a he or a she anymore. Just it. Chat Noir wordlessly pulled out his staff and pointed it at a construction worker.

A construction worker that was normal by all means, except for the gigantic hammer he wielded with apparent ease. That, and the half-crazed look in his eyes, accentuated by a pink butterfly that flashed intermittently around them.

"I AM ROCKER!" the man announced in an overly loud voice. Not so much shouting as magnified. Beside Chat Noir, Ladybug snorted humorlessly. "Stupid name," she muttered, grabbing her yoyo.

He knew the drill by now. Keep the akumatized person busy while Ladybug used Lucky Charm and defeated them. He extended his staff.

Then he hesitated. "My lady…" he started.

"Lucky Charm," Ladybug intoned, staring straight at him. She didn't break eye contact, even as a remarkably small marble fell into her palm.

Taking that as his cue, Chat Noir leapt down into the havoc below. He swung his staff, immediately bracing himself against the heavy weight of the hammer slamming down. Muscles straining, he slipped out to the side, letting the hammer fall to the ground.

It left a dent in the cement. Not for the first time, Adrien marveled at the powers Plagg gave him.

Rocker glared at him. "You…!" he began, when a strip of light suddenly fell across his face, blinding him. Seizing his chance, Chat shouted, "Cataclysm!" He slammed his clawed hand into the construction worker's helmet, which had an odd, purplish tinge to it.

The helmet fell apart, leaving behind an akuma that tried to fly away.

A yoyo shot out, clapping around the butterfly mercilessly. Chat observed it as 'merciless' because Ladybug no longer released the butterflies. There was probably a billion akumas flying around in her yoyo by now.

The thought made him sick. He turned to say good-bye to Ladybug, but she was gone. As always. The familiar wave of magic was washing over the city, undoing all of the damage this akuma had done.

He shrugged. A few months was a long time, but somehow he couldn't shake the habit of expecting his partner being there, confident and warm, instead of this stranger she had abruptly become. Briefly he remembered a girl that had left around the same time.

Marinette.

He missed her, too. They just announced it one day, without warning or explanation.

Alya had been furious. His buddy Nino hadn't been exactly happy, either. Adrien groaned, trying to shake away old memories. Instead he resigned himself to returning home, hopefully to get some sleep before school the next day.

As he tumbled into his room, he felt the suit shimmer off of his clothes.

"Adrien, where's my food?"

"Raid the kitchen," Adrien told him flatly. Plagg stuck out his tongue and zoomed off, leaving the teen to lie on his bed. Adrien got up a moment after the cat disappeared around the corner, pulling out his homework. On the plus side, it was half done.

The bad news was that it was a five page essay. Two and half pages left to write about - oh, the irony - the heroes of Paris. The teacher thought it was a good idea to have them study the fights against akuma and how to not get infected.

As if it was so easy.

Rolling his eyes, Adrien clicked his pen and got to work.

* * *

"Liam?"

He looked up from his sweeping. "What is it?" he asked.

Marinette held out her bandaged arm. "I injured myself… I'm sorry, but I won't be able to work for a few days."

"That's fine," Liam said, shrugging. "Take care of yourself better, alright?" He smiled and nodded to the bathroom. "You know where the bandages are when you need them."

She nodded and passed him, going upstairs. The cut stung fiercely, but she ignored it - she didn't have anything to soothe it anyway - and instead put on her earrings. "Tikki, spots on," she said, feeling the power flow over her. It healed her arm somewhat, but she knew it would vanish with the transformation.

 _Are you going to patrol?_ the kwami's voice echoed in her mind.

Ladybug nodded absently. "It's been a month since my last one," she murmured, pushing the window to her room open, "And anyway, I need something to do. I'd feel useless just sitting on my bed, injured arm and all."

 _I think you should rest._ Tikki's voice had been almost a whisper, but Ladybug heard her. She gritted her teeth and shoved harder, finally getting the window open all the way. "What you think _doesn't matter_."

She immediately regretted saying it, and felt worse when all she could feel from Tikki is warmth and love.

"I'm sorry," Ladybug said brusquely, making for the rooftops.

 _It's alright._

The girl swung from chimney to balcony to roof, the world passing by in a blur. She kept her eyes open for trouble but kept up her breakneck speed - Paris wasn't exactly large but she still had a lot of ground to cover. When she saw a flash of black and green in the corner of her eye, she whipped around in the opposite direction.

She could sense Chat Noir didn't try to follow her.

 _It's okay,_ Tikki projected in her mind. _It looks like there's no trouble._

Ladybug didn't contradict her verbally, but she kept going. There's always trouble, whether you see it or not, and she was determined to make sure she didn't miss anything. Even if that meant she had to spend all night searching the city.

After all, she was a hero, wasn't she?

The best kind, too.

She knows what to do.

She doesn't pity herself. She doesn't hate herself. She doesn't hate the people. She doesn't have anyone left to treasure anyway, just in case she ever did succumb.

But she won't.

Because Marinette Dupain-Cheng had figured out the formula to make sure she never fell under Hawkmoth's power. All she had to do…

…was just _not care_.

Eventually, the sun started to tinge the sky a faint blue. Ladybug reluctantly went back home, having found nothing amiss during her patrol. Though she was reluctant, her body ached and her eyes slid close on their own accord, as if made of lead.

It was worse when she let go of the transformation. The pain, having been muffled by the power of the suit, made her whimper. Then the cut in her arm reopened, forcing her to clamp her mouth shut in order to not scream.

"Marinette? Are you alright?"

Tikki's voice sounded worried and close to panicking. Marinette looked at the little kwami. "Painkillers… please," she ground out.

"Right. Right." She zipped out, returning quickly with a bottle of pills. Marinette swallowed one, grimacing at the bitter taste as it briefly touched her tongue. Knowing it wouldn't work right away, she stiffly maneuvered herself to bed and passed out.

* * *

Some hours later, Marinette awoke, the streetlights shining through her window to make a patchwork of yellow on her ceiling. She felt tired - none of the self-pity or anger or anything she had felt and fought against for the past months. She didn't have the energy for any of them. Just… an emptiness.

It was in that state she began to think about her life. The way it had been before, and the way it was now. She found flaws in both.

Her regular life had been pathetic. She couldn't stand up for herself, she couldn't do anything. But her double life was just as pathetic. Her days were dictated by Hawkmoth and school - and yet they constantly interfered with each other. Either way, it wasn't _fair_.

If she had the power to judge, nothing would be left to chance. There would be no such thing as good luck, no such thing as bad luck.

Everyone would get what they deserved.

It wasn't even being conceited, she concluded, thinking about it. Was it fair that hardworking people sometimes got nothing while those who lazed on their ass got everything? No. So why shouldn't she change it?

That's why she quit school.

But why was she bothering to play hero, anyway? It's because they were weak that they were akumatized. It's because they were weak that they couldn't defend themselves.

She considered. She could just… stop. Since she had no more obligations, why didn't she quit this one, too?

It seemed so simple.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had devoted her everything to saving people, but she realized they didn't want to be saved. Deep down, all they really wanted was power. So she would let them so whatever they wanted.

"Marinette…?"

The girl looked up to see her kwami climbing sleepily out of her purse. Tikki rubbed her eyes. "Are you okay…?"

And just as quickly, Marinette realized she would have to bring herself to abandon the little kwami. "Yeah," she said, heart pounding. "I am." She could quit being Ladybug - but that would mean giving up Tikki.

"Tikki… I… need time."

"Time?" the kwami said, looking confused.

"I need a break. From the fighting, from the hiding, from the loneliness," Marinette said in a rush, losing her composure. "I'm trying _so hard_ Tikki, but I'm afraid. I don't want to be akumatized."

Tikki flew up and cradled Marinette's face as best as she could with her tiny appendages. "Marinette. I'm so sorry for doing this to you. But I need you. I love you, Marinette. You don't have to throw everything away just to be Ladybug."

"But I already did," Marinette whispered brokenly.

The kwami bit her lip. She said, "Marinette, Lucky Charm isn't only for the people." Tikki looked at her in the eyes. "It's to help the hero in their time of need. It's not selfish. It's there because heroes are people too." She sat down on the bed.

Marinette stared at her. Then she shook her head. "I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"How can it possibly help me now?" Marinette said bitterly. She sighed. "Go back to sleep, Tikki. I'll feel better in the morning."

The kwami shook her head stubbornly. "No. Use Lucky Charm. You need it."

"I don't."

"Please."

" _I don't need you!_ " Marinette finally snapped. "Tikki, I love you, I love you, but how can you say these things?! I'm already being the best Ladybug I can be! Why are you asking for more?!"

Tikki felt like she was going to cry. "You're not being the best Ladybug you can be, because Ladybug _is_ you! You're throwing yourself away for this ideal person that doesn't exist!"

"SHUT UP!"

They stared at each other, girl and kwami, both breathing heavily. Then, Marinette raised her hand to her ears. "Good-bye, Tikki," she said softly, plucking out the earrings. That was the last thing Tikki heard before everything went black.

* * *

"Marinette."

She looked up from where she was wiping tables. "Yeah?"

"I've decided to move to London," Liam said.

She froze. If he left, she would have nowhere to stay. She'd never return to her parents. Marinette nodded, already tallying up how much she had saved. Not enough to rent out a place. "Okay…"

"Would you like to come with me?"

"Yes, please!"

* * *

Chat Noir perched atop a telephone pole, heaving a long sigh.

He was exhausted. Green eyes studied the quiet city before him, praying it would stay that way until midnight. If nothing was amiss, then maybe he could get some sleep. His hands dug into the wooden pole as he had the thought.

"No negativity," he muttered to himself. He had seen the effects of letting negative emotions overwhelm you. It wasn't pretty. With a sigh, he turned around. He had more city to patrol.

Ever since the battle when Ladybug failed to show up, Plagg had forced him to patrol every week as usual rather than everyday, as he'd initially wanted to. But the kwami pointed out he'd be useless if he couldn't even stay awake, so Adrien had reluctantly agreed.

He now saw the wisdom in that decision. Only a few akumas had materialized in the past year, which was surprising. At least he'd had time to deal with school and work.

It didn't help keep his mind off of Ladybug, though.

It had been a year since she'd vanished.

The newspapers had viciously accused Ladybug of abandoning the city after the first few battles Chat Noir had fought alone. They'd claimed horrible things, despite his protests.

After a while, the hateful comments died down, but they took their toll on him.

He wondered what happened to Ladybug as he stood, watching the silent rooftops. Once, he'd feared she'd died, but Plagg had assured him that wasn't the case. However, the kwami was tight-lipped on anything else that he might know, so Adrien was on his own.

Maybe if he had tried to help her during those last few months, when she had been brooding and distant, things would have turned out differently…

"No negativity," he reminded himself. He straightened from his crouch, satisfied the city would be alright. With a flick of his tail, he headed home.

* * *

"Hello, class," Ms. Bustier said. She smiled as she came in, a girl trailing in behind her. "We have a new student transferring in today from London. Because it's the middle of the year, she's a bit behind. Please take care of her." She gave the girl a friendly nudge. "Introduce yourself."

The girl looked around at everyone.

She was weird. Her hair was dyed shades of green and blonde, and it was pretty, but the black at the roots revealed how unnatural it was. Some wondered if it was against the rules to dye their hair, but nobody ever bothered to read the handbook, so no one knew.

In addition, the girl wore all green. Light green jacket, white shirt, green slip-ons, with dark green leggings.

With so much of the same color, her blue eyes stood out a little.

But she smiled warmly enough as she said, "My name is Marinette McCallister. Nice to meet you all."

There was a murmur as people recognized her name. Alya looked up, hopeful, but sighed when she saw the unfamiliar girl.

"You can sit anywhere you like," Ms. Bustier told her. As the girl made her way up the aisle, the woman clapped her hands together. "Now, class! We'll be writing letters of appreciation to Chat Noir today. I want you all…"

Marinette tuned the teacher out, choosing to sit in the back with a guy with red hair. He didn't look up at her approach, continuing to draw in his notebook.

She peeked over his shoulder, amazed to see expert sketches of people. Some were of their classmates, and others were people either real or imagined but unknown to her.

"Hi," she said in a low voice.

He looked up, hair falling into his face. At first he seemed annoyed, but then he gave her a half-smile. "Hi," he replied, his eyes going to Ms. Bustier. When she showed no sign of noticing their conversation, he told her, "I'm Nathaniel. Marinette, right?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, liking the quiet boy immediately. She vaguely remembered Nathaniel. Somewhat.

He grinned. "Amazing. There had been a girl named Marinette that went here a year ago, but she's gone now."

"Mm," Marinette said uncomfortably. She looked down at where Ms. Bustier stood too, familiar with the routine of teachers and students. "So what _are_ we working on?"

Nathaniel shrugged. "I know what I'm working on," he said a little drily, gesturing with his pencil.

She giggled softly, looking at his drawings more freely. "I think if you could position the nose a little lower here," she pointed, "and this foot a little back, it would look better."

He bit his lip, then did so. He grinned. "Thanks," he said, now looking at her with respect. "Do you draw?"

"Uh-huh," she said. "Mostly cats and people though. I'm not good with backgrounds or anything."

"What do you have trouble with?" he asked curiously.

Marinette had to think about it. "I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "Maybe… it just seems so hard. To create the world the people are in. It has to match the people."

"That's true," Nathaniel agreed. "Too bad in real life it doesn't work like that."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed wistfully.

And then she smiled. She just made a friend, and Liam will probably be happy to hear it. Even if he's still not happy with her hair.

As well as her monochrome outfits. She suspected that he's not so much upset with her color choices as he is annoyed by how often he's forgotten she tossed her laundry in the washing machine, and ended up with a light green shirt instead of a white one.

Then she has an idea. "I'm working on an idea for a comic," she told Nathaniel. "Would you help me with the background designs?"

"A comic?" he said, interested. "What's it going to be about?"

"Adventure," Marinette stated, chin on her hand. "These two boys are going to build a raft and run away from home, because a mermaid will tell them their world is in danger. They're going to wash up on the beach of a magical land, and be caught and sold as slaves. They'll find out mermaids are notorious liars. They'll try to get back home. But one of the boys betrays the other in order to not get punished, because he doesn't think they'll make it." She said it in one breath, then leaned back.

Nathaniel listened attentively. "What happens afterwards?" he prompted, already admiring her creative mind.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "I think the traitor boy escapes by himself, because his friend was sold and they were separated. Remorseful and alone, he becomes a thief on the streets. Maybe a time skip, where we come back into the story when he's an avenger, bent on destroying slavers. Not a hero. More… a vigilante."

Nodding slowly, Nathaniel pictured the scenes in his head. "I'm not too good with water," he admitted, "but we can work on it. Everything takes practice."

Marinette smiled, then looked at him expectantly.

"Describe the city," he told her.

Pleased he wasn't laughing at her ideas or balking at the amount of story she thought of, she started to tell him about the dusty streets, the brick and wood buildings, the cloth tents set up for vendors. She illustrated, as best as she could on a piece of scrap paper, the clock tower rising in the middle of the town.

"After the timeskip," he said, pointing to the tower, "we can show him hanging off a ledge here. With a cape and everything."

Marinette grinned ecstatically. "Yes! And then…"

"Marinette. Nathaniel," came the stern voice of Ms. Bustier. Both students looked up apologetically, hiding their sketches at the same time. The woman shook her head, resuming her lecture.

When it seemed safe, Marinette whispered, "Sorry."

"It's okay," Nathaniel sighed. "Be happy it wasn't Ms. Mendeleiev."

"Who's that?" Marinette asked, not recognizing the name.

"Science teacher," Nathaniel grimaced. He dropped his eyes. "We should probably stop talking now. Ms. Bustier is nice, but even she can get irritated."

Disappointed but seeing the logic in it, Marinette agreed. She watched Nathaniel sketch some more, then dared to say one more word. And it was more of a question, really. "Lunch?"

Nathaniel smiled a little. "Sounds good."

During lunch, as promised, Nathaniel was sitting on a bench, food in hand. Marinette sat beside him, pulling her sketchbook out of her bag. "So here…" she started, pointing out some of her character designs, "I figured we could have ordinary jacket and jeans, while his friend usually wears shirts."

"Ugh, comic nerd found himself a girlfriend," came a voice above them. They looked up to see a blonde sneering. "Hi," she said. "I'm Chloe. Sorry about that, but you don't want to be with _him_ \- he's so lame."

Marinette looked at Chloe uncomprehendingly.

"He's _lame_ ," Chloe enunciated, thinking the newcomer hadn't heard her.

"Well, okay," Marinette said, mimicking the girl's tone. "He's, like, the only one in this school who can, like, draw though." She stood and whispered in Chloe's ear. The blonde shrieked, turned and running away - only to inevitably trip, seeing as how she wore high heels.

Marinette watched her run, the girl with short brown hair she hadn't noticed earlier following, before turning back to Nathaniel. "They're lame," she declared as she plopped back down beside him. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

"So how was your day?" Liam asked her as she walked in, the bell cheerfully announcing her entry.

Maria grinned. "It was fun," she told him, leaning over the counter to watch him bake. It's during slow hours, so she plopped her bag on the counter and used it to cushion her elbows. "I made some friends already."

"Good," Liam said approvingly. "Old acquaintances, or entirely new friends?"

She frowned. "I had no friends, remember?" she reminded him. "I didn't go to school for a while, when I first came to work with you."

"And you're lucky you were able to catch up," he chided gently.

Maria conceded the point. "Well, they're new friends now, anyway," she stated. "Are there any croissants left?"

Liam favored her with a long-suffering smile. "You really should have something else for once. Why not a muffin? I have a few left over from this morning."

"Sounds good," she laughed, slinging her bag back over her shoulder and heading past him.

"And do your homework!" he called after her.

"Okay!" she replied, grabbing a muffin and taking a bite. Climbing the stairs, she collapsed in her bed. Then she got up, plucked two earrings from her pocket, and stared at them for a long while.

They had lain at the bottom of one of her bags for ages in London. They'd slipped her mind during the last few months… until Liam announced they moving back to Paris. Even now, they remained unresponsive and dead. As if they were just earrings, and nothing more.

Certainly not a life and a close friend she'd once had.

Slowly, she reached up and felt her ears. Her piercings had stayed open, even though normally they would have closed up long ago.

The ground shook, causing her slip to the ground with a grunt. Startled, Marinette clambered to her feet to see the air outside her window fill with fire and debris. She ran over, throwing her window wide open. A blast of hot air blew her bangs out of her face, giving her an unobstructed view of the carnage.

Blue eyes coldly surveyed the fleeing people on the street below. "An akuma?" she murmured, looking up. She saw Chat Noir jump over a rooftop, and felt her heart sink at the sight.

Of course.

He still fought as a saviour of Paris, and simply kept encouraging Hawkmoth to keep sending out akumas. And yet, there was nothing she could do about that. She was no longer Ladybug.

 _Marinette…_

The voice filtered weakly through her mind, but it's source was unmistakable. As if they had burned her, Marinette dropped the earrings. They clattered to the street, almost disappearing from her sight with their miniscule size. Cursing under her breath, she spun around, rushing down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Liam asked as she passed by.

Marinette paused. "Out?" she said sheepishly.

"There's an akuma raging about right now. At least wait until it's over," he remarked, his tone mild. "Besides, isn't the building next door on fire? We might have to evacuate at any moment - how will I get in contact with you?"

She bit her lip. "Please? I will be real quick, I promise."

After a moment, he nodded. "Alright. Be safe," he told her. He watched as she darted out, his face faintly bemused.

Marinette was relieved to find the street empty. Avoiding parts of the crumbled building, while staying well away from the raging fire, she hurried along, searching desperately.

Hawkmoth did not deserve her miraculous.

However, Tikki also didn't deserve to be destroyed.

Where were the earrings? She stumbled over a piece of broken wood and steadied herself quickly. In doing so, she saw a figure moving among the wreckage close to the building.

The girl hesitated, then darted over to find an old man lying in the rubble, a solid beam pinning him down. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place him. "Are you alright?" she asked frantically, coughing from the smoke drifting in the air.

He groaned, but didn't reply. Bending down, Marinette struggled to remove the heavy obstacle.

"Need some help?" a deep voice asked as the burden was lifted easily from her hands. She looked up to see Chat Noir shoving the beam to one side.

That's right. She was just an ordinary human without her suit. A little peeved, Marinette gave him a tight smile. "Thanks," she muttered, lifting the old man. She dumped him into Chat Noir's arms before moving on, looking up to find her room's window.

If she knew where it was, maybe she'd be able to pinpoint where her earrings had fallen.

"Where are you going?" the hero questioned, grabbing her arm. "It's dangerous for you to be here."

Marinette shook him off, spotting the glint of jewelry on the opposite sidewalk. She jogged across the empty street and picked them up, relieved she'd managed to find them.

 _Marinette…?_

Without a second thought, Marinette ran off, leaving behind a very confused Chat Noir. She ducked into an alley and lifted the earrings cupped in her shaking hands. "Tikki? Are you… are you still there?"

 _Barely…_

"I'm…" she began, then stopped. She wasn't sorry. She'd needed time, and she was only able to do that without Tikki. She had kept the earrings safe, hadn't she? Did she have anything to be sorry for? "I'm glad you're alright," she settled on.

It took a few minutes for Tikki to respond. _Me too…_ The earrings gleamed in the darkness. _Will you… be Ladybug again…? Please?_

Marinette exhaled. "I don't think Chat Noir will be happy with that. And isn't that just encouragement?"

 _What do you mean?_

"I mean…" She sighed angrily. "Hawkmoth wants my miraculous, right? Well, if neither I or Chat Noir showed up, he wouldn't be turning people into akumas anymore, right?"

 _Oh, Marinette… He turned people into akumas even before you guys showed up. It's not your fault._

Marinette drew back sharply. "I never said it was my fault."

Tikki was silent for a moment. Then the kwami gently said, _Regardless of how it began, the fact remains Hawkmoth is going to keep doing this. Innocent people are being pulled into this battle._ A smile seemed to enter her mental voice. _All you've done is save them._

The girl reluctantly put the earrings on. Instantly, Tikki appeared before her, the familiar kwami's figure filling her with unexpected warmth.

Marinette smiled.

Tikki did too, until she noticed Marinette's new look. "Marinette…" she said scoldingly, "Why do you look entirely different?"

She smiled sheepishly. "I grew to really like green," she defended herself.

Tikki's expression told her the kwami wasn't buying it. "So how long has it been?" she asked, looking around.

"A… year…?"

The kwami almost fell out of the air from shock. "A year?! Last time, you were… fighting Akuma on a daily basis, at least…" Tikki looked bewildered. "I don't understand."

As they stared at each other, Marinette realized the full weight of what she had done. "I'm Ladybug again…?" she said softly. The girl looked down, blonde and green hair falling around her shoulders. Her blue eyes reflected her sudden doubt at her actions.

Then she remembered Chat Noir.

She'd left him for a whole year.

All of the reasons she willingly went to London suddenly seemed petty to her, and as she looked at Tikki, Marinette found she couldn't breathe. Her pulse roared in her ears as all of the emotions she'd suppressed washed through her.

Tikki watched the girl break down and tried to comfort her. "Marinette, hey… It's okay, it's fine… You're human…" However, none of her words seemed to get through to the girl. So with a determined expression, she swept close and told Marinette firmly, "Use Lucky Charm."

"Wh-what?" the girl stammered.

"Use Lucky Charm. You need it." The kwami patted her cheek comfortingly. "Come on, Marinette. You remember how to do it, right?"

She hesitated, then whispered, "Spots on, Tikki."

* * *

Chat Noir stretched on the rooftop, relieved that had went well. The poor old man had been checked into a hospital, and the strange girl was nowhere to be found. All in all, not a bad day. He crouched, ready to head back home, when a flash of pink light caught his eye.

He turned, then froze as he watched hundreds of white, glowing butterflies erupt from a nearby alley. They flooded the sky, blocking out the blue for one glorious moment. Then they dispersed, vanishing from sight.

What in the world?

He leapt over to the alleyway, peeking over the edge. What he saw took his breath away.

It was _Ladybug_. Her dark hair was down, but he'd recognize that outfit and those blue eyes anywhere. He stared as she sat forlornly on the ground, toying with a familiar yoyo. Although he ached to jump down, hug her, and maybe demand to know where she had been, he held himself back.

She looked… broken. Her posture was neither confident or cold, just slumped, as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders. Even though he had felt that way many times himself, he still didn't like to see that look on his lady.

Then she threw the yoyo at the wall and curled in on herself. Her sobs echoed through the alleyway.

"I'm not, I'm not…" Chat drew back, feeling somewhat ashamed at eavesdropping on Ladybug's breakdown. She was so strong - she probably wouldn't want him to see this. But he didn't really know her anymore. It had been a year, after all.

Making up his mind, Chat Noir dropped down into the alley. "Hey, my lady," he said.

Her head snapped up, watery blue eyes widening as they took him in. "Ch-Chat Noir. Hi. I mean, hey. What are you…?" She stood shakily, eyes darting between him and her yoyo.

Slowly, as if with a frightened animal, he picked it up and held it out to her with a smile. "I missed you," he said simply. "I'm glad you're back."

She smiled hesitantly. "Thank you…" She took the yoyo and cradled it in her hands. She seemed to build up her courage before murmuring, "Sorry I left. I just…" Ladybug shook her head. "I needed time."

With a sigh, she looked at Chat Noir. "I'm back."

She turned and left, swinging over the rooftops and vanishing from his sight.

* * *

For probably the first time in her life, Marinette was excited to go to school. Nathaniel would be there, and they would work on the comic together. She was happy to have finally found someone to draw with.

When she walked into class, she immediately made a beeline for the seat beside the redhead.

"I came up with a few concept designs," she said.

Nathaniel grinned. "Cool." He looked over the designs and asked, "So what are you trying to portray about their characters?"

Marinette brought out a paper filled with sketches of a boy with dark hair. In some, his hair was ruffled and chaotic - in others, his hair was long and tied back in a messy ponytail. He had glasses on in most, and in the few that he didn't, he was squinting.

"I thought of having a sort of a disorganized, yet calculating sort of character…?" she said, gesturing to the hair and glasses. "I figured this would help show it. In the magical lands, he'll be able to see just fine."

She pulled out a different paper. The sketches showed a boy with short, spiky hair that had on t-shirts and sneakers, sometimes wearing shorts and sometimes wearing jeans.

Smoothing it out, Marinette explained, "This one would be the stereotypical sporty and loyal character. He'll be the main driving force behind the plot. He'll probably be dragging the other boy along for the ride, you know?" She grinned. "Of course, he'll be the one to be captured."

"Vicious," Nathaniel murmured. He smiled at Marinette. "So… Where's the mermaid?"

Marinette frowned. "I'm not good at drawing girls, actually."

"Oh, really? Well, what did you want her to look like?"

"Pretty, I guess. Vulnerable, too, so that they believe what she's saying," Marinette said, her voice uncertain. She shrugged. "I'll leave her to you, I guess…?" She piled up the designs and switched them out for her notebook. Nathaniel flipped through them, reading the rough drafts of the first few pages.

He looked up at her excitedly. "This is so cool. I've never drawn a comic before - at least, not with other people."

"Me neither," Marinette admitted. She laughed breathlessly. "I'm getting tired just thinking about how much work this is going to be!"

"Sounds like you've got the storyline down," Nathaniel thought aloud, albeit quietly. "I guess that means we're just fleshing it out. Do you need any help, really?" he asked, thinking about the detailed designs Marinette had shown him.

She shrugged awkwardly. "Backgrounds, remember? And honestly… details are difficult for me too. I'd appreciate it if you could look over it as I work on it. It'd be a big help."

"Alright," Nathaniel agreed. He glanced toward the clock. "Class will start soon."

"Really? Oh no!" Marinette said. She frantically put away her drawings, then looked at Nathaniel pleadingly. "What was the homework again?"

"Uh…" Nathaniel shrugged sheepishly. "Whatever it was… I didn't do it." He flushed slightly and looked down. "I'm not good at English."

Marinette blinked. "Oh. Well, I could help you sometime. Just ask!" She flashed him a bright smile before looking back at the front of the room, where Ms. Bustier was entering the room. With a resigned sigh, she straightened in her seat, looking as if she were facing the firing squad.

The boy beside her smiled slightly. Luckily for Marinette, Ms. Bustier was at least forgiving - even if Marinette didn't seem to realize that yet.

* * *

Adrien missed school. Not enough to beg to go back, but… it had to be better than this. He stared forlornly at the schedule he held in his hands. "This many photo shoots tomorrow?" he said, trying and failing to keep the exhaustion out of his voice. "It seems to have been increasing lately."

"Mr. Agreste seems to think it would be a waste for you to spend your time doing anything else," Nathalie said. She handed him a second piece of paper. "In addition, there are… a few things I need to inform you of." Her face was unusually pensive as Adrien took the paper and read it.

His jaw almost dropped. "I'm going to be tutored by a peer?"

Nathalie nodded. "Mr. Agreste believes it is in your best interest to have some interaction with children your age. You'll have your first lesson after dinner."

"But he barely let me attend school in the first place! Why should he care if I drop out?!"

"It's not my place to say."

Adrien sent her away and fumed. Gradually, though, he calmed down. It didn't matter. It might even be a nice person, and if they weren't… He would deal with it. Absently he stroked the ring on his hand, feeling the paw print indentation.

Plagg wasn't very talkative, either. Not since Ladybug had left.

He sighed, eating his meal quickly before retiring to his room. Not knowing what to do, he just sat there until someone knocked loudly on his door.

"Who is it?" he said, opening it up.

It was the girl from the previous day. It was hard to forget that vibrantly dyed hair. He mustered up a smile. "Are you my tutor?" he asked curiously, noticing how her expression was somewhat dismayed. He stepped to the side to let her in.

"Um, yes," the girl muttered, walking in. She set her bag down on the floor and pulled out a textbook. "Your dad actually just contacted me an hour ago… I didn't know beforehand. I don't even know what I'm supposed to be teaching you, honestly."

Adrien grinned sympathetically. "He's not really the chatty type, is he?" he agreed. "Today's a weekday, right? What were you guys learning in class?"

She had a sheepish look in her eyes. "I'm not sure." She flipped through the pages. "I think we were learning about parabolas? Oh, that's right, and the parts of the formula that correspond to the lines." With a shrug, the girl looked at him. "I guess rather than tutoring, I'll be studying along with you."

"Parabolas?" Adrien repeated, making a face. It sounded like some sort of disease to him.

The girl glanced around his room. "Can I sit?"

"Sure," he told her, taking a seat on the couch. She settled next to him, and showed him the textbook. "Parabolas are those curved lines on a graph. I think… That's the formula there." She pointed with a strange-looking pencil.

Adrien looked at it curiously. It was red, with black dots… A little like a ladybug. Then he shook the thought away. After seeing Ladybug earlier, he was seeing signs everywhere. "I don't understand any of this," he said, the numbers and symbols swimming on the page. He hadn't thought he was _that_ behind.

The girl pulled a face. "I take advanced math," she explained. "I barely understand it either."

"Do you know what the normal class is doing?" he asked, but she shook her head. "We're separate," she said, sighing. "I wish I'd known how hard this was going to be. I would've flunked the test." She sat up straight suddenly, her eyes going wide. "We didn't even do introductions yet!"

Adrien grinned. "I'm Adrien."

"I'm Marinette," the girl replied, smiling.

He froze. Then he laughed at himself. This girl was obviously not Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl who had so abruptly left last year. She'd been quiet, friendly, not straight-forward and strange like this new girl. "Nice to meet you. I guess we should start learning about - parobalos?"

"Parabolas," she corrected him.

"Those things," he said agreeably. He shifted the textbook closer to himself, finally figuring out which one was the equation. And if those numbers were on that part of the graph - his brain hurt. He saw Marinette take out her notebook, beginning to jot down a few things.

Then suddenly she paused. Her head tilted as she looked at his desk. Her eyes moved to her bag, then back to his desk, her expression bewildered. "Are those post-its?" she asked curiously, and he looked up to see the colorful stack lying next to his computer.

"Yeah," he replied. "I don't use them much, but they're helpful sometimes." Such as when he had once been dealing with homework and akumas. The former was often forgotten, so he'd used them a lot back then.

The girl looked at the post-its, then smiled suddenly, her face lighting up. "Since we're technically tutor and tutored now," she said, digging through her bag and picking up her phone, "How about we exchange phone numbers? That way we can communicate if needed."

Adrien nodded. "Good idea." He watched as she pressed the pencil to post-it, copying her phone number down. Oh, was that why she'd been looking at the post-its? He didn't quite understand, but was glad to have an explanation for her behavior.

She tore off a post-it and passed it to him, along with her black and red pencil. "Your turn."

He scribbled down his number.

It had been such a long time since he'd given someone his number that he actually had to check his own phone to make sure he'd gotten the digits right.

Adrien told her that he slept pretty early, just in case she ever tried to reach him at night. His duties as Chat Noir really didn't give him much free time. She'd laughed and said that she wouldn't really want to study that late anyway.

Then they started studying parabolas.

Which, in his opinion, really did sound like a disease.

* * *

"I'm so nervous."

 _Don't be! You're fine,_ Tikki told her reassuringly. _Remember, you are Ladybug. And besides, the suit does most of the work anyway, remember?_

"That's not what I'm nervous about, and you know it," Marinette said, patting her hair. It was down - she couldn't bring herself to put it into two ponytails - but it had reverted to black, it's original color. They had theories about why that happened, but not even Tikki really knew the reason.

Tikki laughed in her head. _Chat Noir obviously didn't hate you. He's a sweet guy. Besides, I think…_ The kwami's voice trailed off, uncertain.

"What?" Marinette asked. "What is it?"

 _Behind you._

She turned hurriedly to see, silhouetted against the moon, a familiar figure. Green eyes stared at her for a moment before Chat Noir grinned crookedly. "My lady," he said, bowing. Both actions seemed slightly rusty, and he turned away without a second glance.

Marinette felt her chest empty out, replaced with regret. Why had she ever left? Every reason she'd ever used to justify her actions now seemed childish, petty. Look at what she'd done. She'd destroyed everything important to her, and nothing had changed.

No.

They had changed. She had changed, and he had changed, and she doubted she could ever fix it. With a sigh, she watched as Chat Noir leapt away, vanishing over the rooftops.

 _I'm sure he'll forgive you,_ Tikki said helpfully. _Remember. He was kind to you last time. He probably just doesn't know how to react._

"Yeah, react to the selfish woman who abandoned Paris," Marinette replied, depressed. "You didn't see the news coverage that exploded when I left. It was… bad." She remembered flicking quickly through the news, seeing a glimpse of a smoking wreck and a purple akuma fluttering around, and changing the channel immediately.

Tikki laughed. _Since when were you a woman? You're still just a girl, Marinette. And he's just a boy. He'll forgive you._ The kwami sent her a pulse of merriment at their predicament, and Marinette reluctantly relaxed.

She had to admit she was feeling nervous too. Maybe she just had to get used to it.

She pulled out her yoyo and dropped it, pulling it back with a quick flick of her wrist. There probably wouldn't be any akuma tonight. With a sigh, she whipped the yoyo out, wrapping it tightly around a chimney. After giving it a tug to make sure it was secure, she hopped off the roof, leaving her stomach behind.

A laugh bubbled out of her.

The buildings were a blur around her, resolving for a moment as her momentum slowed, before she threw out her yoyo and swung out again. Stars spun in crazy circles over her head while brick walls whooshed past her face, roads rising and falling beneath her feet.

It had been so long since the world bent this way around her. As if it were made for her, not the other way around. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so free, the wind blowing against her face, threading through her hair.

Marinette caught her breath on the top of a roof, her feet gripping the tiled surface. She lifted her face, revelling in the cool night air. "I missed this more than I realized," she said, to both herself and Tikki. She took a deep breath, then let it out. It felt like she was emptying out her doubts and regrets.

Like she was really, truly Ladybug again.

 _I missed you too,_ Tikki said.

She wanted to laugh, but settled for a smile. "Watch out, Hawkmoth," she said, tasting the words on her tongue. She liked how they sounded. She was not a hero. She could never be a hero again. But neither was she powerless and scared, no longer in hiding.

Not a civilian.

Not a hero.

Not a villain, either, of that she was certain.

So what did that make her? She pondered over the dilemma for a moment, trying to figure out just what she had become.

Surprisingly enough, it was Tikki who resolved the situation. _You're a vigilante,_ the kwami said fondly. _Working outside the law. Doing things that sometimes don't make you proud. But you always, always do what you believe is right._ She sounded delighted.

"A vigilante," Marinette said, trying it out. Her mind flashed back to the story she'd been writing, and a jolt ran through her.

Her blue eyes turned into crescents, just as delighted as her kwami. Marinette raised her arms over her head and stretched, feeling all her muscles wake up. Then she jumped to her feet. Giving herself a running start, she leapt forward into the night.

* * *

Nathaniel was worried.

He probably shouldn't have been worried. Marinette had only gone to school for two days, and he barely knew her. Still, he'd been so excited about the comic…

"It seems like Marinette's chosen not to show up," Ms. Bustier commented. She continued on with roll call, and Nathaniel's shoulders slumped.

He hadn't done his English again.

He'd just dragged out his homework with a sense of doom when a girl with bright green hair rushed into the classroom, her cheeks flushed. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Bustier," she apologized fervently, pulling her bag higher on her shoulder.

Chloe snickered, her earrings flashing in the sunlight as she pointed out the flustered girl to Sabrina.

"Yes, just get to your seat," Ms. Bustier sighed. Marinette bobbed her head before rushing over to Nathaniel, sinking in her seat as if she wished she could disappear. Nathaniel sympathized with her. Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been late often as well.

As Marinette leaned back, her shoulders slumped, Nathaniel leaned over. "I worked on that mermaid," he told her.

She perked up. "Really?" The life sprang back into her eyes. "Can I see?"

Nathaniel pulled out the drawings he'd worked on, spreading them out on the table. He'd worked on so many different variations. One had a detailed crown and a delicate, airy tail. Another had emphasis on light, weightless clothes and long, thick hair.

His favorite was one with two ponytails and very little decoration - but still with a sense of fantasy; he especially was fond of her big reflective eyes.

But maybe he was being biased.

He watched Marinette, her green hair falling every which way, bend over the papers, her attention entirely focused on the drawings. He appreciated that. At least she wasn't picking the first mermaid she saw, or going straight for the fanciest.

Come to think of it, maybe he made a few of them too ornate. He hoped she wouldn't pick one of those - they'd be hard to duplicate in different positions.

Suddenly a paper was shoved under his nose, Marinette flashing an excited grin. "This one, definitely," Marinette said, grinning. "She's perfect! I mean, I loved the others, but I think she looks more… relatable. Less intimidating. And friendly."

"Alright," he said, looking down. He was surprised to see that it was none other than the ponytailed mermaid.

However, Marinette was already busy perusing his other mermaids. "We need one, at least as a draft, to be a nice mermaid," she said absently. "Or perhaps a civilized one. If they're famous liars, then how do you…? Oh, maybe we can have a differentiation between freshwater and saltwater? I can see that happening."

She suddenly paused, then turned to him with a hopeful look. "Did you make any backgrounds yet?"

Oh. That had completely slipped his mind. He looked down at the ground, avoiding her eyes. "No, sorry. But I'll work on them tonight."

"It's fine. I was just wondering." She went back to shuffling through the pictures, clearly undecided. He noticed she was favoring the meaner-looking mermaids, which he supposed made sense. People just didn't expect the mean ones to be sincere, but what were bullies if not honest?

He realized that Ms. Bustier had been talking. For how long, he didn't know. Nathaniel's teeth worried at his lip as he glanced at Marinette, completely engrossed in the drawings.

He sighed to himself, pulling out his notebook. This was her project, and he'd feel bad about interrupting her. He wasn't the best note-taker, but he might as well. He was the one who was bad at English after all. Nathaniel scribbled something about grammar, then glanced back at Marinette.

Her hair was a little - faded. Darker, he supposed, the vibrant colors shifting between green and black. He'd thought she had more dye in her hair, but maybe not.

Nathaniel ran a hand through his own hair, sheepishly thinking he had no right to talk. Although his red hair was natural, he still felt self-conscious about it once in a while. He sneaked another glance at Marinette before tearing his gaze away, staring resolutely at his notebook.

What was wrong with him?

He doodled a small pencil in the corner of his page. Then he started full-on drawing, giving up on trying to pay attention. He'd gotten halfway through detailing a small dragon when Marinette suddenly gasped.

"This one!" she squealed.

The entire class turned to look at her. She seemed to realize she'd spoken aloud and blushed, her face turning crimson. Nathaniel looked down at the desk. They were staring at her, he knew, but he was so close it almost felt like they were staring at him, too.

"Is there something you would like to share with us?" Ms. Bustier asked.

"No, Ms. Bustier," Marinette said, her voice clear despite her embarrassment. "I'm sorry."

The teacher sighed. "Well, since you seem well-versed in English, please come up here and correct this sentence. Sabrina, you get this one here. And, Chloe, you…"

"I'm not doing anything," the blonde snapped. "I'll tell daddy if you make me."

"I'll do it," Marinette said quickly. She flashed a smile, relief replacing her earlier shame. "It's okay. I'm smart enough to do it. So, Chloe, don't worry! You don't have to try." She hurried over to the board, leaving the blonde to wonder if she'd just been insulted.

Several of their classmates snickered. Nathaniel watched as Chloe whipped around, her face furious. Then she leaned back and scowled. "At least I'm not stuck with tomato head."

Ms. Bustier's eyes got hard.

But she looked away.

Marinette, on the other hand, who had already finished her task, whirled to look at Chloe. Her blue eyes flashed with anger as she snapped, "Tomato head? If anyone is tomato head around here, it's you. Did your daddy drop you, or did they mistake that red mush for a brain when you were born?"

"Marinette!" Ms. Bustier said sharply, but to Nathaniel's horror, Marinette wasn't done.

She walked right up to Chloe's desk, leaning over to put one hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I like you, Chloe," Marinette said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Remember what I told you? I know you. I've known you, and I'm not that girl you knew."

"Shut up!" Chloe yelled. "You don't know anything!"

Marinette just grinned.

"Both of you, principal's office, now," Ms. Bustier said.

Chloe glowered at the poor woman. "My daddy won't let me get detention!" she huffed, stamping her foot. She stood and crossed her arms. "Just try to send me. He'll have you fired! You won't even be able to get a job anywhere else."

"It was my fault anyway," Marinette said carelessly.

Ms. Bustier looked torn. "But…"

As if, to settle the matter, the girl brushed green hair out of her eyes, then drew back her arm. She slapped Chloe across the face, the audible _crack_ making them all wince. The blonde cried out in pain, spinning in a circle as if she were frantically trying to get away.

Marinette waved, then walked out of the classroom. They all stared at each other, except for Nathaniel, who stared at the door. He abruptly realized she had just defended him. She had also just, quite successfully, stood up to Chloe.

And most importantly, she'd taken the decision out of Ms. Bustier's hands.

Maybe, she had tried to protect the teacher from her own actions. A smile crossed Nathaniel's face, though he ducked his head to hide it. The girl with green hair had seemed strange at first, but he realized now that she might be a hero.

In her own way.

* * *

"You've been out more often," Adrien commented.

Over the last few days, he and Ladybug had slowly tried to warm up to each other. He suspected he was a little more eager than her, since he'd been alone for ages, but she'd been talking to him too. Once it got awkward, but a good akuma fight - a man claiming to be the greatest sculptor of all time - had fixed that.

Ladybug nodded. "I have… more free time." She played with her yoyo a few times before adding, "On the flip side, you've seem more tired lately. Problems?"

"Sort of."

And that was the awkward part.

Since neither of them could reveal any personal details about their lives, that left them with very few topics to discuss. Their old quips and jokes, which Adrien was surprised he still remembered, didn't fit. It just didn't feel right anymore.

But they were trying. He looked up at the sky, wondering if he could sneak a few more words into their deflating conversation before they had to go.

He looked back to see Ladybug already throwing out her yoyo, tugging it to make sure it wouldn't send her tumbling to the ground. "Wait!" he blurted out. "Could we… uh…" He could feel Plagg sniggering in his suit. He cleared his throat. "Maybe we should patrol together."

 _Smooth,_ Plagg said, practically laughing his guts out. _Real smooth. Hey, while we're at it, why don't you offer to carry her? The entire way?_

Adrien was tempted to tell the kwami to shut up, but to Ladybug, it would sound like he was saying it to her. He wondered if her kwami was as irritating as his. Probably not.

"We agreed to split up, right?" Ladybug said. Thankfully, her expression was confused, not exasperated or disgusted. "We cover more ground that way." She waved once before swinging away, a blur of red and black.

He stared after her, then sighed.

 _Lovesick after only a few moments? Yeesh. Get me the tissue, I'm bawling my eyes out._

"Shut up," Adrien said absently. He still remembered when everything had been normal. When he'd made puns all the time, and all he'd wanted was to see Ladybug behind the mask. Now, he just wanted those days back. He wanted it so bad, it almost hurt.

He wrenched his mind away, taking his pole from his belt to extend it. He bounded away, pushing all the thoughts out of his mind.

* * *

Alya was pissed.

She wasn't quite sure who she was pissed at, but she was pretty certain it was the whole damn world in general. She was a born reporter, catching scent of news faster than a bloodhound.

Only, when Marinette had disappeared from school, she hadn't had a clue.

Her parents had no idea where she'd gone. The girl had just declared she was leaving, and then left. When Alya demanded they file a missing persons report, they'd refused. Something about respecting her wishes. She'd filed one herself, but when the police learned the family had let her go willingly, they closed the case.

She'd scoured the whole city, but she was just one girl. She had gotten a lead, someone saying they'd seen her at a cafe, but when she checked the owner had already moved away.

That had been a year ago. She'd kept it up for another month, but the trail went cold. The owner of the cafe had been a private person, with no acquaintances who knew where he went. She'd eventually made peace with it. She had given up, moved on, and lived her life.

Alya knew Marinette.

She knew the girl's blue eyes, her tendencies, everything. She didn't take being a best friend lightly. So when Marinette McCallister had returned, Alya had dismissed it at first.

No way.

And yet, she'd still been suspicious. She didn't fully recognize the girl, but she'd checked up on the name of the former cafe owner. A certain Liam McCallister, and he'd moved only a month and a half after Marinette disappeared.

Suspicious. So she'd watched the girl. Stalking didn't faze her, and she'd done her homework, figuring out where Marinette McCallister lived.

At a cafe.

One Liam McCallister owned.

All facts that Alya knew only a desperate person would see as pieces of a puzzle, but she was also imaginative. What really cinched it for her, though, were the clothes Marinette wore.

Somehow, despite only wearing green, white, and blonde - if the dye in her hair counted - the girl was like a fashion palette. She blended the clothes and colors in a manner that was stylish. Her bag was unique, as Alya hadn't been able to find another like it online, as well as some of the shirts she wore.

That meant they were made by her.

Marinette was a fashion designer, no matter how she might have changed. No one could pull off a single color like that.

The girl had been keeping major secrets from her.

Which was why Alya was majorly pissed off.

"Of all the irresponsible, heartless, cruel things to do!" she muttered under her breath, pushing her glasses back up her nose. Her fingers tapped the keyboard relentlessly as she searched for Marinette McCallister's school email. The girl had to have one.

They all did. And when she found it, she was going to give that girl a piece of her mind. "How could she do that to me?" she ranted. "To all of us! Adrien was so damned depressed, and then he dropped right out of school too! Ugh!"

She paused as she came across an email. "Let's see… ," Alya read aloud, her brow scrunching. She opened up her own email, starting a draft.

Her first was little too angry. Her second attempt was a little dry.

She was a reporter, not a writer. She sighed.

After a lot of writing and rewriting, Alya had what she thought was a decent email. She read it over one more time.

Hey girl. It's me, Alya. I just want to talk. It's been a whole year, probably more, but I still miss you. I want to ask so many questions, but I don't even know if you want to talk to me. If you do, I want to have lunch with you. I seriously need details, but it doesn't even have to be an in-depth conversation.

A reunion would be nice though.

Hopefully still your best friend,

Alya

Not her best piece of work. She sent it anyway, then waited, staring at the screen until her eyes watered. She wished she had the girl's number so she could call instead of email. She could be waiting for days. Alya forced herself to get up.

She couldn't stare at her computer all day.

Or she could, but then she may as well do something productive.

She sat back down and opened a new tab, typing out the address for her blog. The Ladyblog had stalled while she'd been looking for Marinette, but by the time she'd gotten back to it, Ladybug was long gone.

Still, Alya continued to update it as much as possible, keeping track of the akuma sightings. Chat Noir had thanked her a couple of times, and she remembered the last time she'd seen him. He'd looked tired. Exhausted. She briefly wondered what would happen if Paris' only hero became akumatized.

"I hope that doesn't happen," she said to herself as she scrolled down, checking for updates. Then her eyes widened.

Someone had commented that Ladybug was back.

One comment among hundreds.

Others had noticed it, and were replying. No one believed it.

Alya clicked on the comment, opening it up. When people commented on her blog, they were required to add an email address. This particular comment had been sent only seconds ago, and by none other than .

Alya almost smashed her mouse clicking back on her email tab. There was a new email in her inbox. She steadied herself, seeing that it was a reply to the email she'd sent.

She opened it.

I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about, or who you are. Please don't email me again.

* * *

"You better have a damn good explanation!"

The girl with green hair, none other than Marinette McCallister, blinked slowly at her. She was dressed in a white shirt and green pajama pants, her hair rumpled and messy. Alya had clearly just woken her up, but she didn't care. She waved the printout of the email in Marinette's face. "How dare you say you don't know me?"

Marinette looked at the paper in confusion. "Huh? I never said that." She reached out, holding the paper still as she read it. Then a variety of emotions crossed her face, too quickly for Alya to read.

She settled on exasperated. "I didn't know the email address. How was I supposed to know it was yours?" Marinette leaned against the doorway, her body language signalling that Alya wasn't welcome. Her mouth was set, but it twitched slightly.

Alya didn't buy it. "Don't give me that. You know my email, Marinette. Remember? Or did a year in London erase everything our friendship meant to you?"

"I'm sorry. I'm not who you're looking for." With that, the door slammed in her face.

Alya let loose a slew of curse words that she'd learned in recent months, courtesy of her uncle moving in. He'd been a sailor at one point, and he was free with his swearing. Not ill-intentioned, of course, but it drove her mother crazy.

Alya Césaire really hated it when people lied to her.

She recognized that face. It was a little different, but if you ignored the green, the blonde, and the fact the skin was little paler - apparently they didn't get much sun in London - it was the same face. It was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, back in the flesh.

"Get back out here!" she snapped, slamming her palm into the door. "Get back out here right now, Dupain-Cheng!"

She was surprised when the door actually opened.

She was even more surprised when the person opening the door was a stranger. The man looked down at her and smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "We're closed today," he said, his tone both polite and apologetic.

Which was a little creepy, considering she'd just been banging on his door.

"My bad," she said. "I've got some business with Marinette."

His expression turned amused. "I think she might be avoiding you, Ms…?"

"Alya," she replied. She glanced at the Closed sign hanging on the door. "What times are you open, Mr. McCallister? I'll be sure to come by when I can. I've never eaten at your cafe before."

"10 am to 7 pm on the weekdays, while we're closed Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays."

Curiosity got the better of her. "Is Marinette your daughter?"

He smiled at her. "I am very fond of Marinette," he said, which she noticed wasn't exactly an answer. "She's been suspended recently, but only for a week. I'm sure she'll be back soon enough. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is Monday."

Alya's lips formed an O. She gathered herself, smiling. "See you tomorrow, then." Hopefully with Marinette in tow. Her anger was fading, but she still wanted answers.

Damn subtlety, and damn trying to be nice.

* * *

"This is bad," Marinette muttered to herself, her arms trembling as she tried to keep the sky from crushing her.

Yes, the sky.

Some mythology professor got himself akumatized. His sister died the previous day, and he'd been in shock until someone had called his class stupid. The combination of the two events led to his negativity skyrocketing, producing an akuma calling itself Atlas.

The professor apparently liked the myth of the titan Atlas, who held up the sky as punishment. Now, he pulled down pieces of the sky, crushing buildings, parts of the road, etc.

Only seconds ago, he'd dropped a piece of the sky on her.

 _You need to hurry,_ Tikki told her frantically. _The suit won't last!_

Marinette would have replied, but she needed to concentrate on not getting smashed. She wished she could use Lucky Charm, but that required having the use of a hand. Both were currently occupied with holding the sky. Her shoulders shook with the strain.

The pressure did not relent. It did not change. Her legs were just barely keeping her up, but she did not want to become a spotted pancake.

Still, she wasn't sure how much longer she could last.

"Tikki," she ground out between her teeth, "Can I activate Lucky Charm without touching the yoyo?"

 _What? I - no, no you can't._

Which meant she had three options. One, she could wait for Chat Noir to come and lift the burden, at least enough so that she could escape. Two, she could try to quickly activate Lucky Charm in the hopes that it would give her a quick solution. Or three…

She could ensure, at least, that Ladybug didn't die with her.

The thought brought her no fear, no despair. But Tikki immediately shrieked, _No!_

Marinette had to admit it wasn't an option she preferred.

She focused on her arms, slowly bending over. Her back cried out in protest as the brunt of the sky shifted, but she held firm. Soon, her right arm was almost completely freed up, the weight pressed down on her left shoulder and back.

Her hand shot down to her yoyo, snatching it up. With a flick of her wrist, she threw it upwards. "Lucky Charm," she ground out, her breath almost gone.

What dropped into her palm was a wedge.

"This isn't what I need," she said dully. She fell to her knees, her whole body compressed as she struggled to keep the sky up.

 _It isn't,_ Tikki said, her voice surprised. _I think it's what you would need… when you fight Atlas._

Marinette swore beneath her breath. "I need," she sucked in a lungful of air, "I need something else." Her vision was dimming. Really, it was a miracle that she'd lasted as long as she had, but that was what the suit was for. She was considering releasing Tikki when suddenly, the pressure eased.

She almost collapsed in relief. Instead, she forced herself to keep supporting what was left of her burden as she turned her head to the side, seeing Chat Noir standing beside her.

His green eyes stared at her as he smiled crookedly. "In need of help, my lady?" he said. He shifted, holding his pole between them. "Hold on. I'm going to push us out at the same time, so it might be a bit rough." The metal shot out in both directions, pushing them across the street.

The sky slammed into the asphalt, causing jagged cracks in the road. Marinette found herself lying on her side. She forced herself to get up, her movements jerky.

"Are you alright?" Chat Noir asked, steadying her.

Marinette breathed in, then out, nodding hesitantly. "I'm fine," she said. Her voice was weaker than she would have liked, so she repeated, "I'm fine."

"If you say so," Chat Noir said, his hand dropping. He scratched the back of his head, then said, "Atlas is heading for the Eiffel Tower. Really. You'd think that the akuma would choose some other famous building to ravage, but no."

"To be fair, we don't have many to choose from," Marinette chuckled.

Chat Noir nodded, his green eyes turning into crescents. "True," he agreed. "Are you up for chasing our bad guy?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

* * *

She fell down on her bed, sighing in relief as the mattress creaked under her weight.

She was so tired. Marinette turned her head, watching her equally exhausted kwami scarfing down a cinnamon bun. Tikki's antennae were wilted, and her eyes were dull. Still, when she saw Marinette watching, Tikki smiled. "You did good today," Tikki said.

"Thanks to you," Marinette replied softly, closing her eyes. She kicked off her shoes, twisting until the sheets were wrapped securely around her. Her hair splayed around her as she curled into a ball.

Tikki finished her cinnamon bun, then floated over to Marinette. She stroked the girl's cheek. "Lucky Chat Noir was there," she tried to say cheerfully, but failed. She flopped onto Marinette's face, snuggling close. They were both so tired.

She almost didn't notice when a tear squeezed out of Marinette's closed eyelid.

"I thought I was going to die," the girl whispered.

"You weren't," Tikki tried, but they both knew that was not true. If Chat Noir had not been there, Marinette would have perished. And, possibly, Tikki would have been crushed with her.

Marinette rolled over, dislodging Tikki. "I did that to Chat," Marinette said. "I did that to him. For a whole year, he'd been fighting on his own. And he couldn't even fix all the damage." She put a hand across her eyes, wishing.

Wishing for what, she didn't know. But she wanted to change something.

"Do you think I could overpower one of Hawkmoth's akuma?"

Tikki paused from where she'd been scrambling back onto the bed. "You have," the kwami said. "Multiple times. Remember?" Her tone was nervous.

"You know that's not what I meant." Marinette faced Tikki, capturing the kwami's eyes with her own. "If Hawkmoth sent an akuma after me, could I take his power for my own? Or would I end up like all the other akumatized people, forced to follow his orders?"

Tikki considered her for a moment. It said something, that the kwami did not immediately deny the possibility. But Marinette could see that the kwami was searching for reasons why it would not work, so she turned back around.

"I'm going to let myself become akumatized," she said finally.

"Marinette…" Tikki said softly. The kwami stroked her forehead. "You've done so well. Been so strong. I believe you can hold out still, but if you're that tired…"

"And then, I'm really going to stop being Ladybug."

The kwami froze.

"Tikki, I think I can be Ladybug. I really do. But it hurts to rely on you. To rely on Chat Noir. To know that I've done wrong, and to see Chat Noir looking at me with apprehension every time we talk." She laughed bitterly. "He doesn't think I see it, but I do."

"Marinette…"

"Don't say you need me. There are others who would be better. Others who would be just as good." Marinette smiled mirthlessly. "Can you hear me, Hawkmoth? I'm tired of being expected to win, every single time." She sat up in her bed, watching a purple butterfly slip through her open window.

It hovered in midair for a moment, as if uncertain, before crossing the length of the room. Marinette plucked off her earrings, handing them to Tikki. The kwami held them for a long moment, then darted out the window.

Grief devoured her chest, a ravenous monster clawing her open. It dragged at her heart, making it beat unevenly. It tore at her lungs, forcing her to gulp in breaths. As if that could ease her pain. Hot tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, blurring her vision, wetting her cheeks.

She screamed. A jagged, wretched sound forced it's way out of her. It was more sound than she thought she could ever make.

Whatever the hell had been keeping her sane while she'd been Paris' beloved hero broke. It was swept away in a tsunami of emotions, overloading her brain.

Her tiny body didn't know to release her pain. Raw emotion poured out of her, ugly and honest. It made her fingers curl in, digging into her palms. It made her want to take a hammer to her chest, if only to make it stop. Stop. That's all she wanted.

The purple butterfly fluttered before her, but it did not land.

Of course. There was nothing of hers she treasured, nothing she kept close to her heart. Marinette laughed at the irony of it, her voice breaking. "Come," she told the akuma. She patted her chest. "I am all I have."

Then the door slammed open, and someone grabbed the purple butterfly. Marinette watched, not understanding as warm, brown hands squeezed, crumpling the akuma's wings.

Alya knelt before her, looking both terrified and worried. "Are you alright?"

Marinette stared at her.

"Am I alright?" she repeated, her voice rasping slightly. Her throat was sore. "No. Why're you here?"

Alya's expression turned exasperated for a moment. Then she laughed, sitting down beside her on the bed. The mattress creaked with their movement. "Because you're an idiot," Alya said, putting an arm around Marinette. She hugged her hard.

Marinette hugged her back. "I have something to tell you."

* * *

His girlfriend was acting funny.

Not funny ha-ha. Funny weird. As in, she was sneaking around, her grades were dropping a bit, and she kept running off somewhere with Marinette McCallister and Nathaniel Kurtzberg. Which was weird, considering she hadn't even given them a glance less than a week ago.

Nino pulled down his headphones, letting them hang around his neck. He wasn't really one to be suspicious. He knew he could be slow on the uptake sometimes.

Alya was sort of the love of his life though.

He shrugged inwardly. He'd probably bring it up when they had lunch. He wasn't suspicious or anything, but if she was going through something, he wanted to be there for her.

A voice broke into his thoughts. "Hey. Mind if I sit here?"

The white slip-ons alerted him to who was near before Nino looked up. Marinette McCallister smiled back at him, waiting expectantly.

"Sure, go ahead," he replied.

She sat down, picking at her lunch with disinterest. She had that fidgety, nervous atmosphere Alya sometimes had, when she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to bring it up.

Nino took pity on her. "What's on your mind?"

Marinette looked up, her blue eyes startled. Then her gaze dropped to the bench. "Er, well," she began. Then she said something. It was a long sentence, and she was definitely relieved when she finished saying it, but Nino wasn't able to make out any individual words.

"What?"

She took a deep breath before repeating, "I wanted to ask if you could help me with something."

That was sudden. "Something as in, you're working on a project something, or as in you're plotting a scheme something?" Nino asked.

"A little bit of both," Marinette laughed nervously, brushing back a piece of hair. "Uh, Alya is getting her food. I'll just… wait for her. She can explain. Better. Than me." She flushed, looking back down at the bench.

Luckily, Alya arrived, squeezing herself right between the two of them. "Hey guys!" she said cheerfully. "So, Nino, I've been helping Marinette here with something cool, and I was hoping you could help. Did she tell you already? I made her promise not to tell you until I came over."

"She didn't tell me yet," Nino answered, amused.

"Good!" Alya grinned. She took a big bite of her sandwich, swallowed, then said, "Marinette and Nathaniel are working on a comic. It's really cool! I've actually been helping out with ideas for their comic…"

At Marinette's embarrassed stare, Alya cleared her throat. "Uh, sorry. We're working on something else, too. Maybe you could come by later? I'll meet you after school! Marinette's dad works at a cafe. It's pretty cool." She bit into her sandwich again.

Nino blinked. That was the third time she'd said cool, which meant she was nervous too.

"Count me in, I guess," he said.

After school he regretted saying that. Alya looked excited to see him there, but Marinette was nowhere to be found - she'd left already, apparently - and Nathaniel looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but there.

Granted, the redhead looked like that most of the time.

Nino smiled awkwardly as they walked down the street. Marinette's dad, who did not look like her at all, apparently owned Clover Cafe. It's been dubbed 'Lucky Leaf' by some people, who've had life-changing experiences there. Nino saw it on the internet, but he'd never actually been to the place.

"Nice cafe," he commented. The man at the countertop glanced over at them as if he heard. "Marinette's upstairs," he told them, his voice clear over the general murmur of conversation.

Alya waved to show she heard, leading them up the stairs.

Nino blinked when they reached the room. Most kids rooms had some sort of personal decoration. Adrien's had been impersonal, sort of, but it still had computers, some posters on the wall. But Marinette's room was a bed, a desk, and school stuff.

Well, she did just move into town. He saw her look up at their entry, breaking into a smile. "Hey guys!" she said.

"Hey girl!" Alya replied. "Sorry, we were waiting for Nino."

"It's fine. Did you tell him yet?"

"No."

"Nathaniel?"

The redhead shrugged. "I don't really think I'm the one to reveal it," he said quietly, sitting down on the floor. Alya and Nino followed suit, with Marinette sliding down her bed mattress to join them. Nino felt lost as he looked around at his companions, wondering what they were talking about.

Marinette caught his glance and groaned. "Okay, I guess that's fair," she admitted. "So, Nino, uh… Remember last year? I'm, uh…" She paused, then forged ahead. "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Nino blinked. "Oh. Okay." It wasn't that much of a stretch. Same name, same features, and Alya had taken to her so quickly. That must've been when she told her. He could understand why no one recognized her - she just looked so different. The hair had really thrown him off.

She seemed relieved that he believed her so quickly, but then her expression turned nervous again. "Also, I was, um, Ladybug."

"What?"

"I used to be Ladybug."

"Ladybug? As in, Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"Yes."

"But Ladybug's been gone for… oh."

"When I moved away last year," Marinette said hurriedly, "I stopped being Ladybug."

Nino frowned. "Do you like ladybugs that much?"

Alya burst out laughing. "That's that's what I said!" she said hysterically. "Oh, Nino, is that really the only thing you could say? Hahaha!"

Marinette turned beet red. "Stopped laughing!" she said, playfully pushing her friend. "I was seriously worried about how he was going to react!"

Nathaniel cracked a grin at that. "Thought he was going to call you crazy?"

"No!"

"Ahaha, you totally did!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Come on, calm down, guys! We still have to explain why we brought Nino here. He probably thinks we're all crazy right now."

"I don't," Nino said, surprised at how easily he was taking this. "But I'm still confused."

"Oh, well," Alya said. She smiled, her face flushed from laughing. "You see, Marinette had this idea. And I thought it was totally cool." She nudged Marinette, who had started going through a folder of papers. The latter looked up.

Nathaniel prompted, "It's your idea. You should explain it."

"Thanks," Marinette said sarcastically. She faced Nino. "A year ago we were all friends, right?"

"Yeah." Nino looked at her. "You moved away without saying anything, though."

Marinette looked down. "Sorry. I was dealing with stuff. Being Ladybug was… stressful." She perked up. "I quit being Ladybug already, but Chat Noir's still out there. And he's - well, he's stronger than me." She brushed green locks out of her face as she handed him the folder.

Nino opened it, then flipped through a few papers. He raised an eyebrow. "This is seriously cool. How did you come up with this…? I bet being Ladybug helped."

"It did, but I helped too," Nathaniel spoke up. He explained, "I actually draw a lot of comics. The design was mostly my idea."

"And I'm a fashion designer!" Marinette said. "Plus, what could happen? It'll be fine."

Nino frowned. "So then, why are Alya and I here? No offense."

"Because you're my friends!" Marinette said. "We've got the whole gang back together."

"Except Adrien," Nino said sadly.

Marinette nodded. "Except Adrien."

Alya elbowed her. "You don't sound too sad. Not into Mr. Popular anymore?"

"No!" Marinette laughed, blushing. "Don't tease me about that! Besides, that was a whole year ago."

Too bad, Nino thought. Adrien would've loved being a part of this.

* * *

His brain hurt.

"Hey! Where's my cheese!" Plagg said, batting his head. "Come on, that girl's gone! Gimme some cheese!" The little kwami pouted, but it didn't look very cute when his true personality showed through. "Adrien! Cheese! Cheese!"

Adrien groaned. "Stop that. It's in my drawer."

The kwami zipped off, leaving him to nurse his math-induced headache. Adrien didn't mind Marinette MacCallister. In fact, she was nice.

He had no idea how she understood the math, though.

It was a nightmare.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the numbers imprinted on his eyelids. Some of them weren't even numbers! They were letters! And symbols he didn't understand! What ever happened to a simple one plus one equals two? Childhood was such a lie.

"Plagg," he said, yawning. "Claws Out."

"My cheese~!" the kwami wailed as he was sucked into the steel ring. Adrien grinned as the suit spread over him, a comforting mix of magic and strength.

He pulled out his pole, checking it's phone feature. He was a little disappointed that Ladybug hadn't been with him the past few patrols. He'd thought they were doing well. She was either avoiding him again… or she'd pulled another vanishing act.

Even as depression took hold, he thought to himself that at least the backlash wouldn't be so bad this time. The public wasn't even aware Ladybug had returned.

She'd used Miraculous Ladybug the last few times they'd fought akuma, but the damage only spread so far, and most people didn't notice it. Plenty of others had been dismissed as pranksters. No one had caught a video of it, and so her presence remained unnoticed.

And the fact that she was gone again.

* * *

Alya bit her fingernail, worried. They'd done all the work, of course. Nathaniel had been really helpful, pointing out parts that didn't work, and Nino was great moral support. Marinette had done a great job, and just now she'd gone to go get changed.

But what if…?

She almost fell over when someone said cheerfully beside her, "Hello!"

Alya turned to see a girl wearing a short-sleeved hoodie. It was dark, but she could clearly see that the hoodie was black. The girl also wore black tights under white shorts, and white knee-length boots that hugged her legs. A white long-sleeved shirt completed the ensemble.

The best part was that she wore a black mask, with blonde hair slipping loose from the hood. "Chloe?" Alya asked, briefly taken off-guard. To be fair, Chloe was the only other blonde she knew.

Blue eyes blinked at her, and then the girl laughed. "Wow, I don't know whether to be happy or insulted." She considered her blonde hair. "I wouldn't have changed it, but who else has green hair in this town? I guess the outfit works then?"

"It definitely does," Alya said.

Marinette thrust the small bag at her. "Come on, come on! It's your turn to get changed!"

"I don't know," Alya stalled. "Don't you want to…"

"No hesitations. You got this!"

Beside Marinette, Nathaniel grinned, self-consciously tugging the hood of his red jacket down. He wore a black t-shirt beneath it, with black jeans and red gloves. Like Marinette, he had a black mask across his face. "You'll look pretty, Alya."

"Yeah!" Nino agreed. He was wearing a dark grey jacket, but this one had no hood, just a collar that he'd turned up. The sleeves were - artfully - ripped off. He wore a white tank top with dark grey jeans, and a black mask.

Alya smiled nervously. "Do I not look pretty now?" she teased, trying to muster up confidence. In truth, she normally wouldn't have minded. Except putting on this sort of outfit reminded her of being Lady Wifi. She barely remembered it, but it was kind of traumatizing.

Nino grinned. "You always look pretty," he told her. "So put it on already!"

"Alright, alright!" she laughed, taking the bag and going into the next room. She opened it.

First she slipped on the dark purple v-neck, the sleeves going to her elbows. Added to that were the black leggings, and dark purple ankle boots. She pulled on dark gloves, and last went on the black mask, the cool material molding to her face as if it were meant for her.

She checked herself in the mirror, then frowned. It needed something more… ah-ha! She put on some purple lipstick, smiling at the effect. Alya waltzed out of the room, feeling great.

Marinette clapped. "Awesome! I love your lipstick - I hadn't thought of that. Got black?"

While Marinette went to apply the lipstick, Nino looked at her with pride. "We're superheroes!" he said excitedly, his voice carrying even though he clearly meant to whisper.

"Not yet," Alya laughed.

"But soon," Nathaniel added, his own voice energetic. "Real soon."

Marinette came out of the room. Her expression was somber as she held the small box. "Alya, you first," she said, holding it out. "I can't touch it yet."

Alya pulled the weak akuma out of the box. She held it by her fingertips, as if unwilling to touch it more than she had to. Nino grabbed the other side, and Nathaniel held one tip. They looked at Marinette expectantly. She sighed heavily, squaring her shoulders.

"Let's do this," she muttered, grabbing hold of the akuma.

There was a bright flash, and Alya found herself staring into darkness. She couldn't move, she couldn't hear, she couldn't do anything. She considered screaming, but realized that was impossible too.

The it cleared.

Alya blinked, seeing her friends standing around, clutching their heads. She looked around, worried. No butterfly in sight. Marinette, Nathaniel, and Nino all seemed to be fine.

That was when she noticed their outfits.

If they'd been cool before, they were now officially awesome.

She wanted to take a picture.

Somehow, Nathaniel had fox ears. Legit fox ears coming from his hair; his was hood down, showing the ears off. A red scarf looped around his neck, flowing down behind him with a white pattern on the end that resembled a fox tail. His gloves were now tipped with claws.

Marinette's sleeves now had a flowy appearance to them, while her white shorts had become a flared skirt. Her hoodie resembled a sweater, clasped tightly at the neck. Her hood now had two, long bunny ears.

Alya glanced at Nino to find he'd undergone a similar transformation. Two brown, pointed ears stuck out of his hair while a wolf's tail swished from beneath his jacket. The whites of his eyes had been replaced by the color of his irises - namely, brown.

She realized it was the same for all of them. Nathaniel had green eyes with slitted pupils, while Marinette had fully blue eyes with round pupils.

Alya looked down at herself.

Her gloves now reached up her forearms, merging seamlessly with her sleeves. Actually, everything aside from her boots were merged. She was wearing a suit of dark blacks and purples, the pattern reminding her of scales. Her v-neck now reached up her throat, clinging to her neck.

She also realized that her canines were now pointed, and unnaturally thin.

She wasn't a reporter i.e. blogger for no reason. She figured it out instantly. "You're a wolf!" Alya exclaimed, pointing to Nino. "And Nathaniel's a fox. Marinette's a bunny. I'm a snake. We're animals!"

"Animal superheroes," Marinette chuckled.

Alya loved that, even as a bunny superhero, Marinette looked like she could take on the world. And then some.

"And we're not crazy," Nathaniel said, breathing out. His shoulders slumped. "I mean, under Hawkmoth's control. We were probably still crazy for trying this in the first place."

Nino was staring at his tail. "Quick question. How do we turn this off?"

* * *

It took a few hours for them to figure out that they had to touch hands with each other for the akuma to pull away. They practiced a few times, trying to get used to the feeling of power and magic that flowed through them each time. Even Marinette had to get used to it.

Because, beneath that power, was the feeling of freedom. A feeling that consumed each one of them, and could take them over if they weren't careful.

Well, it wasn't like working with the magic of an akuma was completely risk-free.

They said their goodbyes, each folding up their outfits and taking them home. Marinette was exhausted. She'd stayed up late making those outfits, but it was absolutely worth it. She was so happy. She felt light inside.

She no longer had to be Ladybug.

She was not abandoning Chat Noir.

She could still make a difference.

Marinette changed, snuggling up in her bed. She sort of wanted to try the akuma on her own, but she knew it would overwhelm her. Sharing the power with the others had probably kept her safe.

She sighed, letting her eyelids drop. It seemed like seconds later she was forcing herself to wake up, to get out of bed. She put the outfit in her bag, then put on regular clothes. She shouldered her backpack, running downstairs. "Good morning," Liam greeted her as she ran past. "You do remember you're suspended, right?"

She skidded to a stop.

"Oh yeah." She'd actually forgotten. Marinette put her bag down and sighed. "Darn. Need any help in the kitchen?"

"I'd appreciate it. But breakfast first." Liam gestured to the fridge before stepping out front, probably beginning to take down the chairs. Marinette checked the oven to make sure it was heating up before grabbing a croissant and an apple, munching away happily.

Then her phone rang. Marinette dug it out of her backpack, answering without checking the caller id. "Hello?" she said, chewing at her apple.

"Hey, Marinette? It's me, Adrien. I have some free time… and I really need help studying."

She swallowed hard, making her cough. After gulping down some water, Marinette managed, "Oh, sure, yeah. Like, right now?"

"Yeah. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, you just surprised me. I'll be walking, so I'll be there in half an hour. That alright?"

"Of course. Thanks."

"No problem."

He hung up, leaving her free to stare at the phone. Abruptly she remembered that she was supposed to be helping Liam. She peeked into the seating area sheepishly, watching as Liam took down the last of the chairs. "Er, Liam?" she said.

The man looked up. "What is it?" he asked.

"Remember that guy I was tutoring? He needs help studying right now…" She smiled, a little ashamed she hadn't thought to ask before making promises. "Is it alright if I go help him out? He's been struggling a lot."

Liam shot her an exasperated look. "I won't make you cancel on the boy now," he said, flipping the CLOSED sign around. He frowned. "But please, next time ask me first."

"Thank you," she said, grinning cheerfully. She pocketed her phone and went outside, breathing in the city air. No school. She felt free and trapped all at once. It wasn't that she liked school, but she was definitely losing points in the grade department for this.

With a sigh, Marinette started walking. She marveled at Paris. She hadn't really gotten a chance to properly enjoy being back in the city.

It's buildings and streets seemed to welcome her back. She knew the place like the back of her hand, although her memory was a little rusty. It wasn't entirely familiar - where there used to be a clothing store, there was now a new restaurant. And in some places, the streets were undergoing construction.

It was still the Paris she knew, though.

In many ways, she was grateful.

In many ways, she resented that.

She took a deep breath. Marinette forced herself to smile, and after a few steps, it felt real. Why was she brooding? She'd done enough of that already! Time to be energetic and productive.

Math was not energy-inducing. Or productive.

It was boring.

She was very, very glad when the akuma showed up.

* * *

This akuma's name was Cat Nipped.

He hated all cats, and he'd recently just lost the cat of his wife. She'd gotten mad at him, and now he was an akuma bent on the destruction of all cats. Or rather, he turned them into small figurines that did not meow, shed, or scratch. He was very adamant on the not-scratching part.

Adrien was pretty irritated that this akuma's power specifically targeted towards cats. It meant he was focused on dodging the attacks more than he should be; without Ladybug's power, he had no chance of recovery.

 _Come on, kid,_ Plagg said, his voice tense. _Hurry it up! If any more cats get turned into - your left, YOUR LEFT! If any more cats get turned, it'll be horrible! Imagine, a Paris without cats!_

"What a tragedy," Adrien agreed half-heartedly, busy sidestepping a beam of light.

Because not only did Cat Nipped have cat-targeted abilities, but he had long-distance powers. He ducked underneath another beam, wishing he wasn't doing this right after math.

Marinette had needed to leave, saying she was worried about her dad.

He didn't blame her.

Those not used to Paris tended to overreact to the akuma attacks. Then again, some of the residents of Paris could stand to be a little more cautious. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several bystanders aiming their phones at him, filming the battle.

 _WATCH OUT!_

Distracted and off-balance, Adrien didn't see the beam of light until someone shoved him out of the way. He hit the roof hard, his shoulder immediately protesting with pain.

"Ow!"

Wait. Who the heck was on the roof in the first place?

Adrien twisted, facing upwards. A girl stared down at him, the sun shining behind her. Her face was shadowed, but he saw flowing sleeves, a hood with bunny ears, white boots.

"Be careful," she said, before darting away.

He forced himself to his feet. What did she think she was doing? There was an akuma! She had to get off the roof -

His thoughts stuttered to a halt.

"Hey, man," some guy in a - oh man, was that a wolf costume? - said, grinning beneath his black mask. He brushed Adrien off, looking relieved. "I thought you were a goner. Are you alright?"

"I - what?"

"He's fine, he's fine," someone else said. Adrien turned to see a redhead in a fox costume. He also abruptly realized that he was in a cat costume, and had no right to talk. Except he an actual reason to be parading around on the rooftops in leather ears. What were these two _doing_?!

The fox guy grinned, revealing two sharp canines. "I vote we go deal with Cat Nipper, and leave the kitty. Who needs him?"

"Don't tease him," yet another voice said, this one female. A girl leapt over, her black suit shimmering with a tinge of purple. "We're here to help, not be mean."

"You guys have to get off the roof," Adrien cut in. "The akuma…"

"Is done for," the fox guy cut in. He pointed with one clawed glove, forcing Adrien to look. He was surprised to find the first girl breaking the akumatized victim's cat collar, the one from the missing cat. A purple butterfly floated out of it.

To his horror, the girl shut it in a small box. "What are you doing?!" he cried. "You can't do that! Those things need to be destroyed - otherwise they spread!"

"No kidding, smartie cat," the fox said.

The one who resembled a wolf interjected, "What he meant to say was, we already know. We'll be careful."

"Careful? Why take the risk?"

The girl spun back to him, her expression serious. He suddenly realized that they all wore the same black mask. But more than that, who were they? Where did they come from? "We're going to help you, Chat," she said. "It's as simple as that."

"But, I've been doing fine. What are you guys talking about?" Adrien said, confused.

"You don't have to trust us right away," the fox said.

The wolf guy told him, "We'll be here every time there's an akuma. You don't have to be on your own anymore."

"So don't worry," the second girl said.

Too stunned to react, Adrien simply watched as the four of them dropped to the streets. Moments later, a wave of darkness rolled over the city, covering every surface before vanishing as soon as it had happened. Adrien saw one of the figurines stretch, restored to it's original form.

He blinked. That was _not_ Ladybug's restorative power. That was most definitely something else. He dashed to the side of the roof, but the four kids were gone.

"Who were those guys?" he said aloud.

Plagg's voice was troubled as the kwami replied, _I don't know._

* * *

"We need hero names."

"Oh my god, Nino, no way," Nathaniel sulked. "I don't want hero names! It was bad enough I acted like that… ugh, I never act like that."

"Except that one time you were akumatized," Alya said helpfully.

Marinette laughed. "It wasn't that bad. You were just a lot more… confident." She brushed at a lock of blonde. "I'm a little disappointed, though. I'll miss my green hair."

"You look pretty in blonde, though," Nathaniel said.

Alya laughed. "She'd look gorgeous in anything!"

"So would you," Nino told her.

Marinette held up the small box where two akuma now rested. "Do you think we should try use both next time?" she asked, staring at the box with unrestrained curiosity. She knew the akuma attacks were frequent. If they collected an akuma every single time…

That was a lot of purple butterflies. They wouldn't fit in the box. "What do you think?" she asked again, looking at her companions.

Nathaniel shook his head. "No way. But we should keep them." He frowned, smoothing out the pile of folded clothes on his lap. "We might be able to collect more later on. If we got more powerful with each battle, it could get dangerous. I really don't like how much my personality changed."

"Maybe," Nino said. He frowned. "It would be better if our powers increased, though. I feel like, once word of us got out, Hawkmoth would up his game. Right?"

"Since when?" Marinette snorted. "He plays by the same rules. There's no change in his attacks. They're all so dull."

Alya grinned. "He gave you such a hard time before," she teased. "Don't hate on his technique just yet!" She laughed as Marinette threw a pillow at her, catching it and tossing it back. They almost started a pillow fight, but then they had to stop.

The room was just above the cafe - Marinette didn't want to disturb the customers.

"So," Nino said, cracking his knuckles. He looked at each one of them, vibrating with excitement. "I already have hero names." He held up a hand when Nathaniel started protesting again. "Aliases, then. We need something to call each other, right?"

When no further complaints ensued, Nino told them, "I was thinking for Alya, we could call her Snake Lady…"

"No," Alya said.

Nathaniel sighed. "I have some names. How about Howl, White Rabbit, Reynard, and Elaphe?"

"I vote we pick our own names," Marinette said. "I wanna be Bridgette."

"Then I'll be Melodie," Alya piped up.

"Grey Wolf," Nino added.

Nathaniel facepalmed. "We need a theme, at least," he said. "And a team name. Hopefully."

"Look who's getting into it now," Nino said smugly.

"Not hero names," Nathaniel stated. "Aliases. Which are actually of practical use." He cleared his throat. "Fine, so my names aren't good enough. We'll just skip the aliases for now, but shouldn't we at least have a team name?"

Marinette leaned forward, resting her elbows on her pillow. "I've got one! We should be the Quantic Kids!"

"Why?"

"Because! We're unpredictable, we're irrational, but we exist! Also… I've been doing a lot of math recently, so I have that term stuck in my head." Marinette frowned. "You would not believe how frustrating it is. I seriously hate math. I hate it so much."

"Then why are you doing a bunch of it?" Alya asked.

"I'm stuck tutoring someone."

Nino looked over. "Really? Who?"

"Uh…" Marinette blinked. "Felix. A guy named Felix."

"There's no one named Felix in our school," Nathaniel commented.

"Not in our school!" Marinette said. "He's a, uh, homeschooled kid."


End file.
